A NEW nightclub will be able to open until 6am – but has been denied the 8am opening that the operators had wanted.

On Tuesday, a Licensing Panel approved a licence for 9 Barry Street in Bradford city centre that would allow the former club unit to re-open as a nightclub called Shades.

The licence application, by Stand Firm Promotions, was for an opening time between 11pm and 8am, seven days a week.

At the meeting a local landlord described the 8am closing time as “ridiculous” and pointed out people would be leaving nearby flats for school and work at the same time revellers were leaving the club.

But although the panel did grant a licence, it decided to only grant a licence until 6am.

Environmental Health officers had raised concerns that noise from the club could reach flats on the opposite side of Barry Street.

Mohammed Mansha, speaking on behalf of the building’s owners, said the street was in a noisy area of the city – pointing out that the nightclub was next to another – Glenny’s.

He also said Barry Street was also “very busy with traffic, 24/4” and it would only get busier when Bradford Live opened.

He said some of the objections referred to issues with an old club that operated from the same unit – Tipple.

The panel was told that police had not raised any objections to the new application.

Mr Mansha told Councillors the club would mainly open on weekends.

Brian Fairclough, an Environmental Health officer for the Council, said the application had raised “red flags” due to the flats across the road and the proposed 8am opening.

He said an application like this should include an acoustic report that would, among other things, compare the noise from the club to any background noise in the area.

Mr Fairclough said the applicants had provided a report, but pointed out it was carried out between 12.15pm and 1.15pm.

He said: “Given the premises is not going to be open at that time, this is not a good representation of the background noise.

“It is like comparing apples to oranges – it is comparing the day time noise levels on the street to the night time noise levels.”

Mr Mansha told the panel that another Environment Health officer had told him such a report would be acceptable, and accused the Council of “moving the goalposts.”

Councillor Aneela Ahmed (Lab, City) spoke on behalf of residents of the area, pointing out that as well as the people living in flats on Barry Street, there were numerous other residential conversions nearby, with around 200 families living within a close proximity to the club.

Cllr Ahmed said: “Some of the most vulnerable residents in our city centre live in this area, elderly people and families with young children. A lot haven’t chosen to live in this area, they have been placed here.

“There are a lot of health care workers, care home workers and front line staff, they’ll all be massively effected by this. They won’t be able to function if this club can open until 8am.

“People will fall out of the club at 8am onto a busy road network."

She pointed out that the person who would be the premises supervisor, Nikki Faulding, was not at the meeting, adding: “It would have been nice if they had attended instead of sending the owner of the building.”

Panel Member Councillor Anne Hawksworth (Independent, Ilkley) asked: “Given this area is in the city centre and in clubland, what time would you think it should open until?”

Cllr Ahmed suggested a 1am opening would be acceptable to residents.

Iftikar Hussain, the landlord who owns the flats at 20-22 Barry Street, said: “The Council has had an aggressive police over the last 10 years of introducing city centre living, and there has been a massive explosion of flats.

“A lot of the flats are two bed, and have children living there. An 11pm to 8am licence is frankly ridiculous. You’ll have kids leaving for school when people are leaving the club.

“People will be coming out of the club onto a road full of people driving to work.”

Referring to the objections, Mr Mansha said: “It seems every needy person in Bradford is living across the road from this club according to the Councillor.

“The only way to prevent any noise would be for the Council to eliminate all nighttime industry from the city.”

The panel agreed to grant the licence, but only for 11pm to 6am from Thursday to Sunday.